Polish prosecutors charge 12 in 2006 exhibition hall roof collapse that left 65 dead

Prosecutors have charged 12 people in connection with the deadly 2006 winter roof collapse that killed 65 people at an exhibition hall in southern Poland. About 500 people were inside Katowice exhibition center hall for an international pigeon fair when the roof buckled and collapsed under heavy, wet snow in January 2006. Rescuers worked frantically in freezing temperatures to try to save those trapped under the wreckage. After a 2-1/2 year investigation, prosecutors in Katowice determined that a faulty roof design was the main factor that caused the hall's roof to collapse, Marzena Matysik-Folga, a spokeswoman for prosecutors there, said Friday. She said one of the accused had confessed but did not say whom. The designers of the building were charged with directly endangering lives and could face up to 12 years in prison,... [read full story]